Prostitution was the fourth largest occupation for working women and it. Records of the national association for the repeal of the. Law and discipline in nineteenth century english state. Opposition to the contagious diseases acts, 1864 1886 margaret hamilton between 1864 and 1869, four laws, known as the contagious diseases acts, were passed by the british parliament in an attempt to reduce venereal disease in the armed services. The contagious diseases animate bill was not introduced till 1867, and its title was, very naturally, suggested by that of the contagious diseases acts, of which the two principal ones, 1864, 1866, were already passed and in operation. In 1868 the contagious diseases act india extended this to civilian centres. This understanding of the relationship is then used to consider the contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866 and 1869, showing how it shaped the construction of an arena for intervention, the acts apparatus, and the conflicts to which the acts were subject. The association strongly campaigned for the extension of the contagious diseases acts to be extended outside of. The contagious diseases acts 2004 significance wiley.
Race, space and the regulation of prostitution in colonial. These acts served as a shield by which men were protected from contagious diseases, often. What did the third contagious diseases act of 1869 do. Opposition to the contagious diseases acts, 18641886 margaret hamilton between 1864 and 1869, four laws, known as the contagious diseases acts, were passed by the british parliament in an attempt to reduce venereal disease in the armed services. To counter the spread of such diseases it introduced, in 1864, the first of three contagious diseases acts cdas which permitted the compulsory inspection of prostitutes for venereal disease in certain military camps in both england and ireland. The contagious diseases acts of 1864, 1866, and 1869 provide a fine political example of the law of unintended circumstances. Prostitution and the contagious diseases acts in 19th century. The contagious diseases act 1864 the contagious diseases act of 1864 applied to specific garrison towns and ports in england and ireland.
Opposition to the contagious diseases acts, 18641886. Contagious diseases animals act, 1884 2002 edition. Medicine, history and the present in reassessing foucault. Jan 07, 2016 the contagious diseases act of 1866 introduced fortnightly internal examinations of prostitutes in the south of england for venereal disease. In 1862, a committee was established to inquire into venereal disease i.
Following this, the second version was applied in september of 1866, and. The campaign for the repeal of the contagious diseases acts. Following this, the second version was applied in september of. The british contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866, and 1869. However, when military personnel were increasingly struck down by venereal diseases, more regulations were demanded. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 518k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. It widened the scope of the 1864 act so that more military towns were covered. The contagious diseases acts 18641869 in england and ireland, were intended to protect soldiers and sailors from venereal disease by a system of compulsory internal examination of women believed to be common prostitutes working in garrison towns and ports. The contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866, 1869 were introduced in order to combat the high incidence of sexually transmitted disease in the british army and navy by forcibly registering and examining all prostitutes working within specified garrison towns and cities and naval ports. Between 1864 and 1869, four laws, known as the contagious diseases acts, were passed by the british parliament in an attempt to reduce venereal disease in the armed services. The acts were passed in secret, without a debate essentially criminalised prostitution it facilitated the. The contagious diseases acts sparked a debate which encouraged both men and women to campaign vigorously against their implementation. The contagious diseases act was first passed in 1864, and extended in 1866 and 1869 before finally being repealed in 1886. Only two years after the original act was made, an extension to the contagious diseases acts passed, thus extending the guidelines of the act to cover the entire british population.
The contagious diseases acts cd acts or acts were three parliamentary acts passed in 1864, 1866, and. However, the first contagious diseases act was adopted, after scarcely any debateit was introduced without warningin 1864. A paper was read before the royal statistical society on jan. In the following sections, we will provide you with a list of contagious diseases so that you can be on the lookout for the same and take precautions against them. Its foundation in 1805with remarks on the contagious diseases. These acts served as a shield by which men were protected from contagious diseases, often being justified by medical and military officials. Between 1864 and 1869, four laws, known as the contagious diseases acts, were passed by the british parliament in an attempt to reduce venereal disease in. Dec 28, 2016 the contagious diseases act here by shortened to the cd acts because as important as it isits one hell of a mouthful came about in part due to the rapid rise of prostitution in victorian england. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. The cantonment act of 1864, originally meant for military bases, was eventually extended to the presidencies and provinces of british india. List of mentions of the contagious diseases act in parliament in the period 1803 to 2005. The 1864 law was the first in a series of three similar laws that sought to control prostitution in the country. The contagious diseases acts the contagious diseases acts 20040601 00.
The cd act 1864 was introduced following general concerns within the military regarding the number of hours lost through soldiers contracting venereal infections from prostitutes. The national library of australias copies direct service lets you purchase higher quality, larger sized photocopies or electronic copies of newspapers pages clicking on the order now button below will open the ordering form in a new window which will allow you to enter the details of your request. The veterinary journal and annals of comparative pathology. The rise and fall of nineteenthcentury british prostituion regulation by jenny katherine jarrard texas state universitysan marcos may 2010 supervising professor. This understanding of the relationship is then used to consider the contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866 and 1869, showing how it shaped the construction of an arena for intervention, the acts. The contagious diseases act here by shortened to the cd acts because as important as it isits one hell of a mouthful came about in part due to the rapid rise of prostitution in victorian england. It authorised a system of periodic fortnightly inspection or examination of all known prostitutes to be made compulsory, under a well organised system of medical police. Members of the association for promoting the extension of the contagious. Many mps were of the opinion that prostitution needed to be regulated and others were in ignorance of the actual content of the act they thought they had passed an act which affected animals. The ladies national association for the repeal of the contagious diseases acts was established in 1869 by elizabeth wolstenholme and josephine butler in response to the contagious diseases acts that were passed by the british parliament in 1864. Association for promoting the extension of the contagious.
The contagious diseases act of 1866 introduced fortnightly internal examinations of prostitutes in the south of england for venereal disease. These acts, which applied to certain military stations, garrison, and seaport towns, gave a police officer authority to arrest any woman found within the specified areas. Prostitution was the fourth largest occupation for working women and it grew along with the boom of the british empire. The contagious diseases acts of 1866 and 1869 flashcards in. The contagious diseases acts reconsidered oxford academic. Extended in 1869 to cover other towns across the uk, the act required the imprisonment of those women found to be diseased for up to three later nine months. These acts, which applied to certain military stations, garrison, and seaport towns. Contagious disease act 1864, is a copy of a law passed by the british parliament during the victorian era.
Contagious diseases animals act, 1884 return to an address of the honourable the house of commons, dated 7 november, 1884, for copy of correspondence with the canadian government relative to the operation of clause 3 of the contagious diseases animals act, 1884. Impact of the contagious diseases acts of 1864 on victorian. Contagious diseases acts the contagious diseases act was a law passed by parliament in 1864. Statistics of glasgow lock hospital since its foundation in 1805with remarks on the contagious diseases acts, and on syphilis alexander patterson glasgow med j. Repeal of the contagious diseases acts ladies national association. It was replaced by acts of 1866 and 1869 giving even more powers to the police, and covering additional districts. The acts were passed in secret, without a debate essentially criminalised prostitution it facilitated the evil desires of men. Jan 22, 2008 in 1867 an association for the promotion of the contagious diseases act of 1866.
Prostitution and the contagious diseases acts history of. Britains antiprostitution law contagious disease act 1864. The operation of the contagious diseases acts among the troops. A case study of the sexual double standard and the contagious diseases acts in midnineteenth century. The contagious diseases act of 1864 flashcards in a. The contagious diseases cd acts of 1864, 1866 and 1869 provided for the compulsory. There were several alterations to the act, after the first version of the contagious diseases act was put in place in 1864. She graduated with a degree in history and a minor in english from the university of california at berkeley in 2017, where she studied gender, race, postcoloniality and the british empire in south asia. This brings us to the definition of a common prostitute.
This eventually led to the indian contagious disease acts. The cd act 1864 was introduced following general concerns within the military regarding the number of hours lost through soldiers. These make us susceptible and vulnerable, and put our immunity at risk. Diseases acts cd acts or acts were three parliamentary acts passed in 1864, 1866, and.
The acts were introduced as an attempt to regulate common prostitutes in order to reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases stds within the british army and navy. Not only was sin made official but poor women were badly. It authorized police in these subjected districts to arrest women on the streets if they were suspected of being a common prostitute, to register them and ensure that they had a medical examination by. Was the 1864 contagious diseases act passed easily, if so, why. The contagious diseases acts, 1864, 1866, 1868 ireland, 1869. Statistics of venereal disease infection of men in stations under. The contagious diseases acts and the campaign for their. Correspondence the contagious diseases act br med j 1868. The contagious disease act, initially was passed in 1864 by the parliament of the united kingdom with the goal of preventing venereal diseases within the. Similar contagious diseases acts were passed in 1866 and 1869. The three euphemistically titled contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866, 1869 were an attempt by the british government to regulate prostitution in the manner of other european countries, such as france. Prostitution and the contagious diseases acts in 19th.
Opposition to the contagious diseases acts, 18641886 albion. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. James stansfeld the debatesabouttherepealofthecon tagious. The new contagious disease act of 1866, worked to spread the jurisdiction of this legislation to more naval ports, districts, and army towns and even the civilian populationwith a new goal to regulate prostitution in general. Margaret eleanor menninger the contagious diseases acts were a series of legislation passed by british parliament during the later half of the nineteenthcentury. Arguments against the acts the acts were opposed from the start by florence nightingale, who counterbriefed the journalist, harriet martineau who wrote a series of critical articles in 1864 for the daily news. By these, in certain towns containing military bases, any woman suspected of being a prostitute could be stopped and forced to undergo a genital inspection to discover if she had a venereal disease. Sagaree jain is an aspiring scholar, poet, organizer, and educator. The contagious diseases acts, gentlemen, as you are doubtless all aware, are the expressions of the recommendations of committees of emi nent medical men, appointed to inquire into the amount of venereal disease in the british forces, and to suggest some mode of dealing with it. The association for promoting the extension of the contagious diseases acts was established in 1867 to support the contagious diseases acts that were passed by the british parliament in 1864. The act legalised prostitution and put the women involved under police and medical control. Ladies national association for the repeal of the contagious. The ladies national association for the repeal of the contagious diseases act.
Contagious diseases act the most vital chapter in women. These acts provided for any woman alleged to be a common prostitute to be ordered to be examined and, if found to be infected, forcibly detained in a lock hospital for up to 9 months. Contagious diseases animals act, 1864 and 1899 sciencedirect. A case study of the sexual double standard and the contagious diseases acts in midnineteenth century england. The contagious diseases act of 1864 flashcards in a level. History the contagious diseases acts 1864, 1866 and 1869. The contagious diseases act was introduced in 1864 policy. The specific goal of the acts was to reduce the sexually transmitted diseases that plagued the british army and navy. The contagious diseases act was introduced in 1864. Britains antiprostitution law contagious disease act. The acts legalized prostitution and put the women involved under police and medical control. The acts imitated regimes that had previously been implemented in countries such as india. Extended the regulation to five additional subjected districts and extended the amount of time that women could be kept in hospitals to 9 months.
The contagious diseases acts royal statistical society. In response to the growing problem of prostitution the government passed the contagious diseases acts in 1864. Standard and the contagious diseases acts in midnineteenth century england. Extended in 1869 to cover other towns across the uk, the act required the imprisonment of those women. The contagious diseases act of 1864 was reformed the first time in 1866.